Authors Notes: I wrote this shortly after seeing The Yoko Factor

Authors Notes: I wrote this shortly after seeing The Yoko Factor. I'm sure you'll agree this is the way Angel and Riley's fight should have went. Set, well obviously in the 4th season.

The Way It Should Have Been

Riley was lying in his hideout, eating food from a can. His radio, that he had successfully tapped into the Initiatives frequency on, suddenly burst into transmission with a Mayday situation.

… tearing us apart out here …
two men down … from out of
nowhere … mayday, repeat…

… mayday. Team Epsilon requests
immediate backup, we're in the
alley near the school building…

He had to do something, despite the fact that he had no back-up, and only basic weapons. He jumped up, grabbing his gear and weapons and ran off in the direction of the alley.

* * *

Riley entered the alley to see a large military soldier get slammed into a wall, knocking him unconscious. Instead of hiding from this obviously inhuman figure, he made his presence known. He quickly whipped out a flashlight. It shone through the alley, illuminating the face of the attacker.

Angel.

Although Riley had no idea who he was. For a moment both men simply stood staring at each other, surrounded by the bodies of four commandos, out cold.

"Riley Finn." Riley was shocked, although he tried not to show it. Who was this man? And how did he know his name? Riley's feeble brain didn't allow him to work it out. He tried to act cool.

"I know you?" he tried to keep his sentences short and sharp, trying to match his opponents cool, calm exterior. He failed miserably. The man's face was hidden partially by the darkness of the night, but his answer drifted out from the shadows.

"We have a friend in common." This man seemed to be a constant step ahead of Riley. Which wasn't exactly a hard feat to accomplish. Riley's stone-age brain finally allowed him to make the connection. His featured changed to recognition.

"Angel."

Angel glanced around the scene he had created.

"Welcoming committee your idea?" For the first time not having the answer to something. Riley took a look at one of the fallen soldiers. His nose was badly broken and bloody. Riley instantly summed up what he thought a clever deduction, that Angel had lost his soul again, not knowing that as usual he was as far away from the truth as possible.

"Way I heard it, you were all peaceable now. You didn't by any chance go and lose that pesky soul again, did you?" Riley attempted to do a cocky pace as he talked, but just ended up looking stupid. No change there...

The man's answer was a growl.

"Don't push me, boy." Riley didn't like that this guy had called him boy. Even though he was obviously Riley's senior by several years. This being human years. Riley felt himself begin to fill with rage, seeing this man who had caused Buffy so much hurt.

"Now what possibly could have happened with Buffy, that would make you lose your soul." This wasn't a question. Angel answered with an almost invisible smirk.

"That's be between me and her." Never once losing his menacing tone. Riley felt threatened but tried to hide it. Angel began to walk in his direction. Riley extended his metal baton to full length. Even though he posed absolutely no kind of a threat to Angel.

"Where do you think you're going?" Angel seemed to consider him with nothing but amusement.

"Going to see an old girlfriend." Riley immediately realised he meant Buffy. He mentally applauded himself for being so quick-witted. Then he remembered there was a situation at hand. He tried to sound menacing. Again failing spectacularly.

"Oh you really think I'm gonna let that happen?" Angel got a challenging look on his face.

"Think you're gonna stop me?" Riley knew this was the crucial point. He had to get ready. Plus think of a cool comeback.

"I surely do." He berated himself silently for saying "surely."

Angel did a lightning-fast punch which Riley could barely block. He then spun round with a hard backhand which Angel easily decepted. Angel then kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. Angel picked him up and spun him, throwing him into a pile of garbage at the other side of the alley. Riley quickly (quick for him anyway) jumped up onto the platform next to him. He silently gasped in shock when Angel jumped, his long coat looking like a cape, about 10 feet from where he was onto the platform. Riley barely even had a chance to stand up before Angel knocked him into a wall. While Angel continued to rain blows on him, Riley struggled to get his small hand taser out, hoping to give him a high-voltage shock.

Suddenly the taser wasn't there.

Angel smirked, holding the taser.

"You really don't know much about vampire reflexes, do you boy?" He then shocked Riley with the taser, knocking him back into the middle of the alley. Riley groaned and tried to stand up but Angel kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking him down again. Angel kicked him again, knocking him about five feet away, into the wall at the other side of the alley. Angel laughed and picked him up. He shoved him up hard against the wall, his face bare centimetres away.

"I told you not to push me....boy." Riley screamed as he vamped out, sticking his fangs into Riley's neck. However after a few second of feeding on him Angel threw him away, spitting out blood.

"You didn't tell me you came from Iowa! An excess of corn in the blood makes it taste like crap!" He picked Riley up, and looked him right in the eyes.

"I. Hate. Corn."

And snapped his neck.

Angel dropped Riley's brainless...um, I mean lifeless body, as he heard the sound of Humvees approaching. He climbed up the side of the building at the other end of the alley, making his escape. He had to talk to Buffy. He had some news for her about her boyfriend.

Boy, was she going to be pleased.